Analysis of the implications of Africa's food systems development on environmental sustainability

Africa’s food systems need to provide sufficient affordable, nutritious food for Africa’s population, whilst generating income and employment to support the continent’s economic and social development. However, the long-term functioning of food systems relies on natural capital – the natural resources and ecosystems that provide the inputs needed for food production. These resources are currently being depleted and degraded at an alarming rate, with significant impacts on biodiversity, climate change, and ultimately, on the ability of food systems to fulfil their functions. This study was commissioned jointly by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), in cooperation with the Alliance of Bioversity International, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) of the CGIAR (formally known as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research), and the African Development Bank (AfDB), to inform their engagement with key stakeholders in Africa and elsewhere, whose decisions today will influence the future of Africa’s food systems – and with that, the future of the continent overall. The report analyses the main trends and drivers of Africa’s food systems, how food systems have responded to these drivers, and what the resulting environmental impacts of these responses have been across the continent. It identifies policy-levers for engagement in the food systems space and concludes with recommendations on how to move away from an unsustainable “business as usual” trajectory. The analysis was largely based on a review and analysis of publicly available literature and data.